The final bell rang, echoing through the halls as students poured out of classrooms. Kai moved slower than most, his bag slung lazily over one shoulder. Another school day done — routine, predictable.

  The smell of old curtains, sawdust, and faded paint greeted him like an old friend. He found Brandon sprawled across a row of seats, Lila perched on the stage edge scrolling her phone, and Naomi flipping through the script for their next play.

  Lila looked up. “We’re hitting the arcade after school. You in?”

  Kai blinked, caught off guard. “The arcade?”

  Naomi grinned. “Yeah…, will be fun!”

  Brandon leaned back. “Come on, even the mighty Kai Callahan needs a break.”

  For a moment, Kai hesitated — part of him almost hearing his phone buzz with the obligations of them— the Illuminatii. But today… he nodded.

  “Alright. Let’s go after.”

  The hours slipped by faster than usual. The school faded behind him as Kai walked with the group toward the arcade — laughter and casual teasing filling the air.

  His phone buzzed once. A message from Felix:

  “Meet tonight? There’s something we should check out.”

  Kai stared at the screen for a beat, thumb hovering over the keyboard.

  “Not tonight. I’ve got plans.” He sent the message without hesitation.

  The arcade pulsed with life — neon lights, the sound of coins dropping, the chaotic music of old machines. Brandon and Naomi darted toward the basketball hoops, yelling over the noise.

  Kai stayed back with Lila, both leaning against a worn pinball machine.

  “Didn’t think you’d actually come,” she said, smiling sideways at him.

  Lila grinned. “Told you. You’re always so serious, it’s good seeing you… you know… normal.”

  For the first time, Kai laughed — a small, genuine sound.

  They played a few rounds, side by side — racing games, shooters, air hockey. Somewhere between the laughter and the flashing lights, the space between Kai and Lila felt… smaller.

  When she leaned closer during one game, their hands brushed — neither of them pulled away.

  Lila glanced up at him, a soft smile playing on her lips. “You’re not so mysterious when you’re having fun.”

  Kai only smirked. “Don’t ruin my reputation.”

  But the moment lingered — quiet, unspoken.

  Later that night, Kai walked through the door of his home. The house smelled like dinner — something warm and familiar.

  His mom peeked from the kitchen. “Hey, honey. You’re home late.”

  Kai dropped his bag. “Was with friends.”

  Her eyes lit up. “Friends? That’s good! You’ve… been different lately. I like seeing you this way.”

  Kai offered a faint smile. “Yeah… me too.”

  She ruffled his hair on her way past. “Keep it up, alright? I’m proud of you, Kai.”

  He nodded, watching her disappear down the hallway.

  For a moment, he stood there — silent.

  There was a world outside the Illuminatii. One where things felt… lighter.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  And maybe… he could have both.

  The house was quiet — the kind of stillness that only came late at night. Kai sat in his room, the glow of the city filtering faintly through the curtains. The arcade wristband still clung loosely to his wrist, a small reminder of the world he’d touched tonight — the normal world.

  But his eyes weren’t on the window. They were locked on the worn leather-bound book resting on his desk — the one his father left behind.

  It sat there, silent. Heavy. Waiting.

  Kai leaned back in his chair, fingers drumming lightly against his knee.

  How long had it been since he opened it the first time? Since those strange, impossible rules etched themselves into his mind? “For what is witnessed, may be changed.”

  His lips curled faintly. “Feels like a lifetime.”

  Before the book… he was just another forgettable face — quiet, small, someone who blended into the background. Teachers overlooked him. Students barely remembered his name. Even his own reflection felt like a stranger.

  But now… everything was different.

  Kai closed his eyes, breathing steady. He could feel it — that shift inside him. Confidence that wasn’t there before. Control he never thought he’d have.

  The world didn’t feel so big anymore. Because, in his own way… he’d learned how to bend it.

  Fights stopped when he saw them. Secrets revealed themselves when he needed them. And people… people listened.

  All because of that book. His father’s last gift — or maybe his last curse.

  Kai opened his eyes, staring at the worn cover.

  “I’m not that kid anymore,” he murmured.

  The shy, quiet boy his mom worried about… was gone.

  In his place stood someone different. Someone becoming.

  And the best part? No one knew.

  They saw confidence. Charisma. Leadership. But none of them knew what moved beneath the surface — the power that hummed just out of sight, waiting for him to reach for it.

  Kai leaned forward, brushing his fingers over the book’s cover.

  This is only the beginning.

  And somewhere deep down… he smiled.

  The night was still.

  Only the quiet ticking of the clock echoed in Kai’s room — a subtle reminder of the hour slipping by. He sat on his bed, his father’s worn leather-bound book resting heavy in his lap.

  For days now, it had sat there — untouched, unmoved — but never ignored. Its presence was a weight. A reminder of everything his life had become.

  But tonight… something gnawed at him.

  His eyes drifted toward the door — faint light seeping through the cracks. A shadow passed once, lingering just a second too long. His mother.

  Then… silence.

  Kai exhaled slowly, his decision made.

  Keeping this book here… was dangerous.

  It was time to move it. Hide it somewhere even he wouldn’t stumble on it by accident.

  His steps were quiet as he crossed the room, fingers trailing against the wall — until he found the familiar spot.

  Kai closed his eyes and whispered the words — the words his father had taught him without ever speaking them.

  “Ut supra, ut infra.”

  The wall pulsed faintly, then trembled — a low hum rising from the depths. A moment later, the hidden library revealed itself — stone parting like breath.

  Kai stepped inside, the air colder here — heavier.

  He placed his father’s book gently on the desk, beside The Kybalion and The Master Key. But as he turned to leave, something caught his eye — something new.

  There — on a shelf that had once been bare — sat a book he was certain hadn’t been there before.

  Its dark cover was pristine, untouched by time or dust. The title gleamed in delicate gold:

  “Doctrinae et Memoriae”

  Kai’s throat dried. He approached slowly, fingertips brushing the leather — cold to the touch.

  The night felt heavier now, as if the air itself knew something was about to change.

  Kai sat cross-legged on the cold floor of the hidden library, the golden glow of the chamber flickering over the dark leather cover of the mysterious book:

  Doctrinae et Memoriae.

  The first page held a handwritten note — the ink fresh, as if written just for him:

  “To the seeker who has walked far enough to find this — know that memory is not your prison. It is your key.”

  Kai’s breath caught.

  The words… felt alive.

  He turned the page, and the world shifted.

  The handwritten words on the first page still echoed in his mind:

  “Memory is not your prison. It is your key.”

  But that was only the beginning.

  Kai turned the pages — and the deeper he read, the more the world outside seemed to fade away.

  (Extracted as Kai reads — like notes forming in his mind)

  1. Memory is the Root of All Skill

  “We do not remember the skill itself. We remember the moment it was learned — the room, the light, the scent in the air when knowledge carved itself into the soul.”

  “To master any skill… one must remember having learned it.”

  “Memory is the bridge. Memory is the map. And if the memory does not exist… create it.”

  “A sword swings not because the hand remembers — but because the mind recalls the day it learned to wield it.”

  “What we call ‘knowledge’ is not stored in the muscles, nor the bones — but in the memory of having learned. The sword swings because the mind recalls the weight of the blade, the lesson of the master, the pain of failure.”

  “Without memory, there is no skill. Without memory, the body is a vessel without a map.”

  2. The Memory of Learning is the True Power

  “Men mistake their abilities for innate gifts. In truth, even instinct is memory too old to name.”

  “We do not need to recall the exact formulas, the words, or the drills — we only need to remember the moment we became capable. The world will fill the details.”

  3. The Memory of the Future

  “Time, for memory, is but a direction. The mind may plant the memory of learning forward as easily as it looks back.”

  “To imagine oneself learning a skill in the future… and to believe in that vision… is to create a bridge the body will follow.”

  4. Constructed Memories — The Forbidden Practice

  “There are those who learned to create false memories — moments that never were, but feel as if they had always been.”

  “With care, a seeker may write a memory of mastery into their own mind, or another’s — but beware, for the mind knows what is true and what is not.”

  “A false memory poorly planted will rot — causing madness, fractures in the self. To gift a man the memory of the blade without the weight of it may teach him to kill — but not to survive.”

  5. The Ritual of Anchoring

  “To create a memory that lasts, the mind must anchor it with senses: smell, sound, pain, joy.”

  “A skill learned is weak if it lives only in thought. It must be tied to the body, to the world.”

  “Those who mastered this craft built temples of memory — places where every step, every sound, was a lesson carved into their soul.”

  6. The Mirror Effect — Projecting Memory into Others

  “Through memory, one may not only change themselves — but others.”

  “To be seen performing the skill is to plant the seed of belief in others. In their minds, you are what you appear to be.”

  “The world treats you as the sum of the memories they have of you. Change those… and you change the world.”

  7. The Final Warning

  “Remember — to walk this path is to walk alone. The mind can become lost in the memories it creates.”

  “Forget which are real… and you will forget who you are.”

  “The Master of Memory is also the greatest of liars — even to himself.”

  A shudder ran down his spine.

  Jonah.

  The piano.

  That night — when Kai imagined Jonah playing — was this what he’d done without realizing? Had he created a memory for Jonah? A moment that never existed — but now felt real?

  Kai swallowed hard.

  If that was possible… then what else?

  What if… any skill, any talent… was within reach — as long as he could create the memory of having learned it?

  The room felt too small. The world… suddenly too vast.

  His mind raced — possibilities unfolding faster than he could contain.

  Jonah, Felix, Iris, Evan… himself.

  Limitless.

  Kai stood slowly, the book cradled in his hands like it might shatter.

  Carefully, almost reverently, he placed it back beside The Kybalion and The Master Key.

  A deep breath.

  This was no longer just about bending fate. It wasn’t about luck, or chance, or even power.

  It was about rewriting the past — creating memories that the world would bend to obey.

  When he turned, his eyes were cold — sharp.

  Tomorrow… the world would change again.

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